‘Minecraft’: New Tumble Mini-Game Released In Free Update For Console Ports

A free update for the console versions of Minecraftdebuted on Tuesday, delivering the second free mini-game for the popular sandbox title, and the latest addition to Minecraft looks every bit as engaging as the Battle mini-game that debuted earlier this year.

This week’s debut of the Tumble mini-game comes as something of a surprise for the Minecraft community. Players have known for months that Mojang was preparing additional content for the popular sandbox game, dating back to the unexpected reveal of the Battle mini-game back in May, but the studio hasn’t said much about its plans to release a follow-up in the weeks since. If anything, we would’ve expected Tumble to be revealed during Minecon when the annual celebration of all things Minecraft descends upon Anaheim, CA next month.

As for the game itself, Tumble has a bit in common with its predecessor, in so much as they’re both competitive games that pit members of the Minecraft community against one another. But unlike the Battle mini-game, which transformed the sandbox game into something akin to the average first-person shooter, Tumble requires a decidedly different strategy. Participants are all placed on a grid of blocks suspended above lava. The goal is to break whatever block(s) your opponents are using to prevent falling down into the magma. According to Mojang, the latest mini-game was inspired by the popular mod Spleef, which is still available to those wishing the latest free update for Minecraft: Console Edition was also available on PC.

For a closer look at the brand new Tumble mini-game, take a couple of minutes to check out the latest Minecraft: Console Edition trailer from Microsoft and Mojang. Then head down to the comments section and share your impressions of the next free mini-game coming to Minecraft.

Minecraft is currently available on PlayStation 3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Wii U and mobile platforms. The game’s latest update, featuring the Tumble mini-game, is now available as a free download on all console versions of the game.